Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas form Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish Restoration Program

Diane de la Garza used to be a competitive gymnast. But now she’s turned her attention to professional bass angling.

This compared to competitive gymnastics is very different. There are some similarities, with your determination and giving it your 100-percent. With fishing, there are so many factors out there: the weather, the fish…there’s little bit of luck to it, but there’s also figuring out what the pattern is, and knowing what depth to fish, and what they want. Whether it be top water, or a worm, or what have you. And so, putting all the pieces together is like a puzzle. And that, to me, is so intriguing and it is such a challenge.

De la Garza and her husband Hector, another professional bass angler, are taking part in this year’s Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo at the Fishing Fundamentals area.

And this is where we’re going to tell you how to do it, where to fish, what you need, and we’re also going to have some biologists in the area with us. And, I’m going to be demonstrating some techniques with the visitors, and we’ll be open for questions.

Learn about professional angling…or where to find the best fishing hole near you…when you come to Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo, October 4 and 5. The festival is free, and open from 9 to 5 both days.

That’s our show….with support from the Sport Fish Restoration program… funded by your purchase of fishing equipment and motor boat fuels For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Diane de la Garza, Professional Bass Angler, 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish Restoration Program

The seed for her career as a professional bass angler took root when Diane de la Garza was a child.

When I was a little girl, my father and my mother took me fishing, and my parents always made the time to take us out and to introduce us to the outdoors. And for that, I will always be grateful.

De la Garza and her husband Hector, both professional bass anglers, are part of this year’s Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo October 4 & 5, in the Fishing Fundamentals area.

So, we’ll be sharing stories….sharing techniques…sharing ideas…answering questions….it’ll be a blast.

De la Garza says Expo is a tremendous opportunity to introduce children to the diverse outdoor recreational opportunities available to them, such as fishing.

It is so important for parents to take the time to take their kids out fishing. Honestly, it doesn’t matter if you catch any fish or not; what you’re doing is you’re creating memories. And, the lives that we have today—we get so busy. And I know for me, looking back, some of the best memories that I have of my family is when they took me out fishing and getting to experience the outdoors.

Professional bass anglers, Diane and Hector de la Garza, will be at Expo on October 4th & 5th, in the Fishing Fundamentals area. We have information at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show….with support from the Sport Fish Restoration program… funded by your purchase of fishing equipment and motor boat fuels For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Expo--Diane de la Garza, Professional Bass Angler, 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program

Come early and stay late is the advice Ernie Gammage has for folks who plan to attend this year’s Parks and Wildlife Expo—a free event that offers a natural introduction to the outdoors.

I think especially for folks that don’t have relatives who live in the country, who don’t have that rural connection that so many people had back in the old days…it’s important to introduce our children to the joys of being in nature and recreating in the outdoors. And you can do that at the Wildlife Expo.

Gammage, Expo Director, says the agency has an ulterior motive for providing this weekend event.

We hope that everybody that comes to Expo—whether they’re tried and true outdoor recreationists—or maybe it’s their first time to ever wet a hook, will use the Expo as an opportunity to gain an interest, gain a skill, and then go on and try it on their own.

Rock wall climbing, kayaking, scuba diving, fishing, shooting, and mountain biking are only a few of the activities in which visitors may partake at Expo.

You know, Expo is on 35 acres, it’s all outdoors because it’s about the outdoors, so wear sunscreen, wear comfortable shoes, wear a hat, and be prepared to have the time of your life.

Parks and Wildlife Expo is October 4th and 5th from 9 to 5 daily. Find information at passporttotexas.org

That’s our show… we receive support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program… working to increase fishing, hunting, shooting and boating opportunities in Texas.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo, 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program

Each October, Texas Parks and Wildlife HQ in Austin gets an extreme makeover when it’s transformed into EXPO, a 35-acre playground in the Great Outdoors.

Expo is a great opportunity for Texans to learn all about the things that they can do in the great Texas outdoors, and it’s free.

Ernie Gammage is Expo’s Director.

Texas is really blessed with opportunities for recreation in the outdoors. Things like camping, hunting, fishing, rock climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, all of these things you can do in this great state—in a lot of different kinds of habitat. And, if you come to the Wildlife Expo and don’t know how to do these things, you can learn and actually do them.

Parks and Wildlife Expo is October 4th and 5th in Austin. You can go to the agency’s website and click on the Expo link to start planning your visit.

Come early stay late, because if you came all weekend you still wouldn’t get to do everything. You can paddle a kayak, you can rock climb, you can learn all about conservation, you can see wild animal shows…it is so much fun.

You’ll find additional information about Expo at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show… we receive support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program… working to increase fishing, hunting, shooting and boating opportunities in Texas.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo, 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

The Texas Outdoor Family weekend workshops help families learn skills to enhance future outdoor excursions.

We really wanted to do something for our community that was different as far as getting people outdoors.

Deirdre Flores, recreation program coordinator for the city of Kyle, www.cityofkyle.com, says hosting a workshop benefits participating families and cities.

This is a great program for any city to host if they’re looking to get into outdoor programming. It also brings other families to your community, so you get people into your community that may not have ever come otherwise. I would recommend it to anybody.

Not only is Parks and Wildlife staff on hand to facilitate the workshop, cities can tap into other local resources, like nearby colleges.

I’m actually an alum of Texas State Recreation program, www.txstate.edu, so we’ve partnered with their recreation programming class. And the students—they are having a blast. And I think they’ve done a great job. Having Texas State as a partner—you can’t get any better.

The program was so successful in Kyle, Flores says they plan to offer it again.

We want to do it twice a year, so we’re looking to do it in the fall and the spring. We really enjoyed this program, and we’d like to continue to bring it to our citizens.

That’s our show for today, with support from Toyota. To learn about upcoming Texas Outdoor Family workshops at local parks and state parks, visit lifesbetteroutside.org. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Texas Outdoor Families--City Involvement Play Now | Play in Popup | Download